Pi'illo Island
Pi'illo Island '''is one of five island states in the Mushroom Kingdom (excluding Smashville) and lies slightly to the northeast compared many of the other states. It is surrounded completely by water, lying in the Hylian Sea. It is part of the Liberation Belt, the name given to the southern continental and island states that became part of the Mushroom Kingdom immediately following the Mushroom-Koopa War. Pi'illo Island is the 15th most populous, though one of the smallest states in the country. Its most populous city is Waketown. History '''A Lesser Known Technological Power During the migration from the Old World to the "Green Land," in the late 14th century, the first stop of the Hyrulian colonists was the Pi'illo Kingdom, which they discovered had already been inhabited for nearly a thousand years by the Pi'illo race, a human, pillow-like species that had the ability to open portals into what was known as the Dream World. The Pi'illos had a ginormous army that they used to easily fend off the Hyrulians. Following their humiliating defeat, the two sovereign countries agreed to have a friendly relationship and never attack the other's land. Most of the Hyrulians ventured on to Snowmadia (though their conquering of that country would fail as well), but some returned to Hyrule. The Pi'illos did everything in their power to remain relatively unknown on a global scale, wanting to keep the beautiful landscapes and scenery all to themselves. It is estimated that around the 1460s, they pioneered the first aircraft known as the blimp. Ancient writings and text seem to suggest that the life of the Pi'illos was mainly built around finding new ways to innovate and create new technology (in this way, they were similar to Termina) as well as worshipping their deity, the Zeekeeper, a gigantic, rainbow-feathered bird that they considered the most powerful being on the planet. Though information on the Pi'illo Kingdom before the Great Petrifying is scarce, modern historians believe that the country was probably the 2nd most technologically advanced, surpassed only by Termina. End of an Era In the late 1500s, the Pi'illo Kingdom fought an evil army within their borders led by the vicious bat-king, Antasma. The assault on the Pi'illo side was led by Dreambert Somniorum, prince of the country and the most powerful Pi'illo known, Eldream. The Zeekeeper was unable to help, following his imprisonment in Somnom Woods by Antasma. Antasma's main goal was to seek out the Dark Stone, an ancient artifact that can grant anyone's wishes, but is fueled by nightmares. Eventually, the evil bat retrieved it and attempted to conquer the Kingdom. He was caught off guard when all of the Pi'illos teamed up to try to trap Antasma in the Dream World for eternity. As he was sucked into the portal, he crushed the Dark Stone and chunks flew all across the country, petrifying every member of the Pi'illo race, including Dreambert and Eldream. This event was not discovered to have occurred until 1969 by a young scientist named Larry Snoozemore. When he announced his findings to the public, thousands flocked to the island to take a look. Snoozemore continued to do research at the island to see if there was a way to resurrect the Pi'illos. The Return of the Pi'illos In the early 2000s, a Brock named Broque Monsieur approached Dr. Snoozemore, asking if he could buy the island. When Snoozemore said that he had no right to Pi'illo Island, Broque Monsieur took that answer as "yes, it's free." He immediately made the island a theme park of sorts for people to come to and tour. He made the ancient Pi'illo Castle a hotel, much to Snoozemore's shock. He also created the shopping mall of Lakeport and set up tour guides for the dangerous Mount Pajamaja. Though many people journeyed to Pi'illo Island in order to escape the stress of the Mushroom-Koopa War at the time, the war soon came to the island because of Kamek's frustration at not being able to take over a majority of the Mushroom Kingdom. In 2011, the Koopa Troop began a savage invasion of Pi'illo Island, coincidentally coinciding with Princess Peach Toadstool's vacation there. Bowser Koopa, head of the Koopa Troop discovered the presence of the Mario Brothers and peacefully tried to convince them to leave the island. At this point, Mario and Luigi had already broken some of the Nightmare Chunks that held the Pi'illos in place and released Dreambert from his believed eternal slumber. Bowser, accidentally finding his way into Dream's Deep, released Antasma from his prison. King James Toadstool refused to send troops into Pi'illo Island, for fear that it would ruin foreign relations, leaving the Mario Brothers on their own. Thankfully they had the now resurrected Pi'illos on their side and ran around the island, freeing even more, while defeating members of the Koopa Troop along the way. Eventually, Dreambert came to a face-to-face encounter with Antasma and was badly wounded. The Mario Brothers, however, were able to beat Antasma and Bowser after using the powers of the Dream World, which Luigi thankfully had a connection to. A year later, at the end of the Mushroom-Koopa War, King Toadstool arranged a contract and sent it to Dreambert, Eldream, Broque Monsieur, and Dr. Snoozemore, asking for Pi'illo Island's admission into the Mushroom Kingdom. After weeks of thinking, Dreambert agreed and he became the first governor of the new state. Now, Pi'illo Island is considered both a tourist attraction and a home for many. Geography Pi'illo Island is a very diverse region, geographically. The majority of the state is either now an urban area or grassy. The Pi'illo Castle, Blimport, and Mushrise Park hilly, green type of location comprises the majority of Pi'illo Island. The farther south you go, the hotter the temperature. Driftwood Shore and Dozing Sands to the south are the hottest areas, though the latter has mostly been reduced to a construction site as of late. The northern Mount Pajamaja region has been slightly leveled since the Battle of Pi'illo Island in order to allow for residences and villages though the peak of the mountain is, of course, still the coldest region of the state, though admittedly nowhere near as harsh as the Kyrati-Snowmadian border or the Glacier-Snowmadian border. The east is the most diverse region, as it mainly composed of the large Somnom Woods area. Somnom Woods has many different types of plants and another wildlife, such as the rare Spritzbloom and the flying Pelicrump. All of the many different types of animals at Pi'illo Island make it the 4th most ecologically-diverse state in the Mushroom Kingdom. Those at Pi'illo Island mainly contribute to the overall economy of the Mushroom Kingdom by using the state as a tourist attraction, though many residents also enjoy fishing in the Driftwood Shore region. Hunting is also common in Somnom Woods, though Dreambert has had to scale that back a bit due to the endangerment of various species. Pi'illo Island is also home to the Mushroom Kingdom's second-largest mining facility which reaches from the bottom of Pi'illo Castle to a recently discovered temple in Driftwood Shore. Notable cities * Waketown (most populous city) * Oveipo (capital) * Drifthills * Somnoria * Nubila * Mushrise Square Political leanings In Mushroom Kingdom elections, Pi'illo Island has been historically on the right wing, Republican Party side of things, despite only participating in two elections thus far. Next to none of the areas at Pi'illo Island could be considered liberal. The only non-Republican areas are the more libertarian castle and Wakeport regions.